Product Description

Presenting a study of the Antarctic explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton as well as their most heroic expeditions, the author looks in detail at just how and why their individual reputations have evolved over the course of the last century. This book covers the two most famous expeditions of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova expedition of 1910-12 and Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition of 1914-16. For decades after his tragic death on the return journey from the South Pole, to which he had been beaten by five weeks by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, Scott was regarded as a saint-like figure with an unassailable reputation born from his heroic martyrdom in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic.In recent years, however, Scott has attracted some of the most intense criticism any explorer has ever received. Shackleton's reputation, meanwhile, has followed a reverse trajectory. Although his achievements were always appreciated, they were never celebrated with nearly the same degree of adulation that traditionally surrounded Scott. Today, Scott and Shackleton occupy very different places in the polar pantheon of British heroes. Stephanie Barczewski explores the evolution of their reputations and finds it has little to do with new discoveries regarding their lives and characters, but far more to do with broader cultural changes and changes in conceptions of heroism in Britain and the United States.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #184775 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 390 pages

Review
"A brilliantly innovative way of exploring how society changes." --Good Book Guide, 2008

"[T]o read Barczewski's account of Shackleton's hazardous enterprise is to be thrilled by his resourcefulness. Every detail is fascinating." --Daily Express, 2008

"Barczewski's book is a valuable addition...her unusual analysis of our Antarctic heroes provides us with a mirror in which we can see our own failings reflected in our changing cultural ideals." --Times Higher Education Supplement, 2008

About the Author
A specialist in modern British cultural history, Stephanie Barczewski is Professor of History at Clemson University in South Carolina, where she has taught since 1996. In 2005 she became Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities at Clemson. She is the author of numerous books, most recently Titanic: A Night Remembered.

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful debunking of two legendery polar leaders
Barczewski has provided a compelling and thoughful dissection of these two well known polar expedition leaders, and examines their public reputations - both then and now. She has an easy style and her work, well-researched and referenced, prompts the reader to reconsider both his own and society's values and prejudices. Highly recommended.

An even-handed account of Scott v Shackleton
This is the most well balanced, even-handed and in depth analysis of Scott v Shackleton that I've read so far. It's very well researched, covering ground were the so-called Antarctic historians have dismally failed to tread. It's very well written and the reader is almost certainly guaranteed to`re-think' or`re-assess' their own prejudices in relation to Scott and Shackleton.

You don't have to be a Scott or Shackleton devotee to enjoy this book, I loaned it to a friend of mine whilst he was in hospital for a few days and he claims he could not put it down - though he'd never heard of Shackleton prior to reading the book. Recommended.